ICE investigation leads to convicted child molester’s indictment for naturalization fraud

RALEIGH, N.C. - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations officers in Raleigh initiated an investigation which led to the conviction of Robert Davis, a previously naturalized United States citizen born in Malaysia, for naturalization fraud. Davis was sentenced to six months in prison and criminally denaturalized by the court.

According to court documents, Davis fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship on May 9, 2017, by making false statements under oath regarding his naturalization application. In response to the question "Have you ever committed, assisted in committing, or attempted to commit, a crime or offense for which you were not arrested?" he answered "No." He likewise denied having ever forced anyone to have any kind of sexual contact or sexual relations.

Davis was convicted in state court of indecent liberties with a child and attempted first-degree sexual offense on Feb. 2, 2024. He confessed to having committed the crimes between Jan. 30, 2004, and Dec. 30, 2005, and the victim was a 5-year-old girl. Davis was sentenced to over 16 years of imprisonment, in part because of a previous federal conviction in 2021 for possessing child pornography which resulted in a 14-year prison sentence.

"This case highlights ERO's commitment to protecting communities we serve, and I am proud of the work we do every day," said ERO Atlanta Field Office Director LaDeon Francis. "It also highlights our resolve. For those who prey upon the vulnerable and lie about their crimes, there is nowhere they can hide. ERO will relentlessly defend the integrity of our nation's naturalization process."

Officers with ICE's ERO division and Homeland Security Investigations agents assigned to the Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force investigated the case as part of Operation False Haven, an ongoing initiative designed to aggressively identify and prosecute child molesters and other egregious felons who fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship.

ERO designed and launched Operation False Haven in late 2019 to identify and target child molesters and other egregious felons who were convicted after naturalizing for offenses they committed and concealed during the naturalization process.

Since its inception, False Haven has gradually evolved from a single district initiative to one that now encompasses six judicial districts. The scope has broadened beyond naturalization fraud and now encompasses defendants who fraudulently obtained a wide range of immigration benefits.

The initiative has produced 60 criminal cases, 29 civil cases, 28 convictions, 18 judicial revocations of citizenship, and eight judicial removal orders against defendants convicted of serial rape, child molestation, incest, sodomy, child pornography, kidnapping, sex trafficking, murder, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, tax fraud, pill mill prescription fraud, embezzlement, aggravated identity theft, and elder abuse.

For more news and information on how ERO Atlanta carries out its immigration enforcement mission in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, follow us on Twitter @EROAtlanta.